That night, Mark and I brought our boys to the closing ceremony. We wanted them to witness and experience this special event. I lured Broden out onto the floor as the music was playing and we started to dance. I looked over and watched athletes dancing with soldiers and an athlete with autism dancing with his service dog. This was true inclusion at its finest. A cadre member came

up to Mark to talk to him about his experience, "This is the first time I've ever spent time with people with disabilities. This is the first time for a lot of us. They are amazing people. We want to participate next year." The 2-60th command team who provided support to the event told us that this was the most fun they had had and were already building an AAR (After Action Report) to find more ways to support this event next year. It wasn't just Mark's brigade that was there to support this momentous occasion, all of Fort Jackson was there to support. I watched my friend's daughter, Summer, yell, "Let's do this!" as an athlete approached her asking her to dance. Everyone was there to celebrate these athletes. They were seen as having value and purpose.

"As Mark and our friends continued to dance with the athletes and celebrated their accomplishments, I couldn't help but feel grateful. I was grateful for having the opportunity to witness a celebration for people who have different abilities."

As Mark and our friends continued to dance with the athletes and celebrated their accomplishments, I couldn't help but feel grateful. I was grateful for having

the opportunity to witness a celebration for people who have different abilities. As our son, Hayden, says over and over again, "Different does not mean less." This weekend was not just about celebrating those athletes, but it was providing an opportunity for Fort Jackson to see how special these athletes truly are. As the event drew to a close, I witnessed an athlete come up to BG Michaelis to shake his hand, "I didn't leave the bed as neat as when I got here to Fort Jackson." BG Michaelis smiled and teased him by saying, "You can fix that bed before you leave!" The athlete replied, "I figured you could take care of that for me." Yes indeed. We will take care of that bed for

you and we'll have a bed ready for you next year. The Special Olympics will be an experience that we will remember and we are already looking forward to supporting them next year. •

PUZZLES & CAMO

Shelly Huhtanen is an Army wife stationed at Fort Jackson, SC. She enjoys sharing her experiences of her day-to-day life caring for her son with autism. Shelly authored Giving a Voice to the Silent Many" that encompasses many stories of raising a child with autism in the military. She also teaches Public Communication at the University of South Carolina and has contributed to EP Magazine for over 10 years.